Leica flash units and compatibility to Leica M or Q cameras

[AHAB]

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Hello everybody,

is there a list somewhere in the internet showing all Leica branded flashes for the Leica system and which possibilities they have in communicating (e.g. TTL) with Leica M od Q cameras.

I know the topic "using flash" is not a common Leica M and Q user topic but I would love to get informations.

I searched the internet with no real success.

Thanks

regards AHAB

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[luetz]

B&H Photo only show 2 Leica models SF-40 and SF-60 for the models you mentioned and a SF-C-1 remote Trigger for off camera.  All are capable of TTL.

[AHAB]

11 minutes ago, luetz said:

B&H Photo only show 2 Leica models SF-40 and SF-60 for the models you mentioned and a SF-C-1 remote Trigger for off camera.  All are capable of TTL.

Thanks I will check on this 

- what about SF20 SF24 SF24D SF64 ......

I find it very hard to find details online - even I would be interested in which flashes offer A Mode or GN Mode
the SF 40 and SF 60 seems to be related to Nissin - any Information about the Flashes rebranded to Leica from Metz?

[Anbaric]

Even the manuals seem remarkably vague. For example, does the SF-40 work in TTL mode with film cameras like the M6-TTL and M7? They don't really say, only mentioning digital models with 'M' (manual) mode as a catch-all for everything else. And they use that strange Nissin terminology where 'A' mode is just a more limited TTL mode, rather than the traditional non-TTL auto mode you might expect (the modern Leica flashes seem to lack the sensor required for this, making them manual-only on all the current film cameras and most of the older ones, which is a bit disappointing - my Nikon SB-800 or an old Vivitar 283 would be a better bet on my M6 Classic).

[AHAB]

6 hours ago, Anbaric said:

Even the manuals seem remarkably vague. For example, does the SF-40 work in TTL mode with film cameras like the M6-TTL and M7? They don't really say, only mentioning digital models with 'M' (manual) mode as a catch-all for everything else. And they use that strange Nissin terminology where 'A' mode is just a more limited TTL mode, rather than the traditional non-TTL auto mode you might expect (the modern Leica flashes seem to lack the sensor required for this, making them manual-only on all the current film cameras and most of the older ones, which is a bit disappointing - my Nikon SB-800 or an old Vivitar 283 would be a better bet on my M6 Classic).

This is exactly what happened to me when I tried to learn about the flash modes and the camera connection. It seems the Leica branded Metz flashes could work in A-mode. I just tried a Metz 40 MZ-3 I with the Leica SCA adapter but the results are not "reliable". I tried the SF 24D in A Mode - but the results are sometimes good and sometimes "off" ... so probably there is no real Leica flash protocol and so any flash in M-mode can do the job?! But this is IMHO far away from the plug and play idea 😉

 

[AHAB]

BTW Why aren’t there any 3rd party Leica TTL Flashes available?

Edited August 6, 2023 by AHAB

[Tom R]

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4 hours ago, AHAB said:

BTW Why aren’t there any 3rd party Leica TTL Flashes available?

I'm willing to bet that it's for a simple lack of demand. For instance, I use flash units on all of the Leica bodies I own: M8,2, M4-P and M4. Of these, the M4-P is the easiest because it has a modern hot shoe so I can use electronic triggers---this makes it very easy to manage remote setups, i.e., multiple lights, off of the camera, etc. I suppose that I could just as easily use the M8.2 for the same reason (although I never attach anything to the M8.2 hot shoe without using a Wein step-down unit).

That said, I use Manual mode(s) for all of these combinations and have had no problems.

[jaapv]

The M8.2 sync contact is a high-voltage (600V) one. Like all digital M cameras.

[AHAB]

Thanks for the answers so far - probably it is really a question of demand - as Leica users are not really known for using flashes on the Cameras 

 

[AHAB]

Hello again everybody - what about the Meike or Neewer Flash 320 - these flashes should work on the Panasonic Lumix cameras as the LUMIX LX100 - so it should work on the D-Lux7 or the (109). So these Flashes should work with the TTL Leica protocol on the rebranded Panasonic Leica cameras.

Did anybody try these flashes on a Leica Q?